Getting rid of bahia grass

[rphughes]

I have a bermuda hay field (three actually) that has been invaded by bahia grass. It's common around here, but it doesn't make choice hay. Here's my problem.
Killing the bahia is trivial and cheap; I can hose it down with Ally (or the equivalent) and be done with it, but I'll be left with some big dead spots (i.e. NO HAY). The *real* expensive part is re-sprigging costal bermuda in those dead places. I have more time to spend that $$ so I've been trying to find some solution that would effectively discourage and eventually eliminate the bahia and encourage the bermuda (or at least not hinder it). That would allow me to still cut all or some of the field for hay, avoiding the one or two year down time for killing, discing, sprigging, etc.

Any ideas? Am I just losing it? [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Regards!

[Pat]

Ralph, The Bahia would not invade if the Bermuda was able to out compete it. Look for something you could do to turn the tables. What is the pH tollerance of Bermuda and Bahia, short mowing tollerance, etc.

Bermuda can be cut pretty short and survive as it has a lot of ground hugging runners. How does Bahia like being cut short fairly frequently and denied having its solar panels (leaves) be able to get much work (photosynthesis) done?

If there is a pH range that Bermuda will tollerate that Bahia won't I'd try to ameliorate the soil to achieve that pH. It would be acceptable to me to stunt the Bermuda if in turn I was kicking the Bahia's butt. Do they have equal resistance to fertilizer burn? If Bermuda tollerated over fertililzing with too hot of a fertilizer better than Bahia, I'd cook the Bermuda within an inch of its life and maybe do the Bahia a death blow.

The above assumes the Bahia patch isn't PURE Bahia but has a little Bermuda, otherwise yoiu might as well go chemical warfare and kill out the bahia (after the next cutting) and sprig with bermuda.

Just some ideas, maybe you'll think of something better.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[JoeR]

Insects can destroy areas of grass too. Mole crickets usually eat Bahia and Bermuda, so I doubt that is it. But grubs, etc.. can do a number on any grass.

Can't you seed Bermuda? I thought it cost in the $200 per 50lb range. Yes, expensive!

[hudr]

Like Pat said, check your soil PH and adjust line/fertilizer accordingly. Also, bahia springs up above bermuda pretty quickly, so cutting the bahia just above the bermuda might help. I think your best bet is to give the bermuda the conditions necessary to outperform the bahia. Keep the heads knocked off the bahia, fert. and lime w/ the bermuda in mind, and let the bermuda shade out the bahia. You may even get down to "spot sampling" for soil tests. In a large meadow the soil Ph can change quite a bit from one part to another. I have seen folks break prize hay meadows into pretty small sections to fully customize their lime and fertilizer applications.

[Pat]

rphughes, Hudr and I are a mutual admiratiion society. Note he agreed with me and now I am agreeing with him. Well, the Bermuda shading the bahia will take some doing. Heavily fertilized Bermuda with adequate water will get over waist high but is getting too rank for quallity haying.

Still, for the trouble area you need to make life harder by comparison than for the Bermuda. If you can keep the Bahia cut to just above the Bermuda and both short, the Bermuda's low lying runners will give it fair photosynthesis and the short bahia will get little opportunity for photosynthesis.

How well does bahia recover from a pretty severe disking? Bermuda recovers pretty well with decent moisture. Maybe that could be another weapon in your arsenal.

OK, you get a flock of young geese (pinioned so they will stay inside a goat fence) and apply operant conditioning ala B.F. Skinner where you reward the geese for eating Bahia and punish them for eating Bermuda. Then you put up a temp fence around the problem area and release the geese inside. If you prefer use goats.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]